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Caribou are most familiar
to the northern Canadians, for many of whom they are an essential economic resource. The caribou’s micmac name was "xalibu" -
meaning "the one who paws" - and the present name is probably a corruption of
this word.
Caribou are found in Canada from the
U.S.-Canada boundary in western Ontario and, British Columbia to northern
Ellesmere Island,
more than 4000 km north. Some caribou are forest- and mountain-dwellers; some migrate each
year between the sparse forests and tundra of the north; others remain on the tundra all
year.
The caribou is a medium-sized member of
the deer family, Cervidae. However, only in Caribou do both males and most females carry
antlers. Caribou are similar to and belong to the same species as the wild and
domesticated reindeer of Eurasia. The caribou is well adapted to its environment. It has a
short, stocky body and a long dense winter coat which provides effective insulation, even
during periods of low temperature and a high wind. Large, concave hooves splay widely to
support the animal in snow or muskeg and function as efficient scoops when the caribou paws
through snow to uncover lichens and other food plants.
The migration routes have always
been so well established that, in past years, Native hunters lay in wait for caribou at
places where they would cross lakes or rivers. Occasionally, however, the caribou did
change their migration routes, and hunters and their families located near the traditional
migration path faced starvation.
The wolf is natural predator of the
caribou. Wolf packs follow the migrating herds from summer to winter range and back.
Caribou are relatively free from this predator only during calving time, when the breeding
wolves are raising their young in areas distant from the calving ground. A wolf requires
food equivalent to, and may kill, 11-14 caribou a year. Most wolves also hunt mice,
lemmings, other small mammals , and birds. Wolves cannot run as fast for as long as
healthy caribou, especially in deep snow, so wolves often chase a caribou in relays, or wait in
ambush for an unwary victim.
Wolves have a culling effect on
the caribou population, as they kill the aged, injured, or young weak animals when they
are available. Most biologists agree that the relationship between wolf and caribou
benefits both. Certainly the relationship has evolved and lasted over tens of thousands of
years.
The human being, however, is the
greatest of all caribou predators. Many Canadian Amerindians and Inuit based their culture
on the caribou, and could not have survived in the north, without them. Some tribes were
nomadic, and followed the herds year round; others lived on caribou for part of the year.
Caribou provided food, clothing, and shelter: bones were made into needles and
utensils, antlers into tools, and the sinew into thread; the fat provided fuel and light; the skin
was made into light, warm clothing and tent material; and the flesh fed people and dogs.
Exploration and settlement of
the north were possible because caribou provided food. Today, caribou are still an
economical source of meat because transporting food into the north is expensive. The vast
herds of migrating caribou present a wildlife spectacle unequalled on this continent and,
as an attraction to naturalists, photographers, and short hunters, could contribute to
tourist industry in the north. Wisely used, caribou can be a continuing economic
resource in
North. |